Vegas Golden Knights: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
Who are the Vegas Golden Knights best prospects after the 2020 NHL Draft?
Since coming into the league for the 2017-18 season, the Vegas Golden Knights have taken the NHL by storm. Prior to and even after their expansion draft during the 2017 NHL offseason, almost everybody expected them to be one of the worst teams in the league, and likely remain so for at least a few years.
Instead, they shocked the hockey world and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, the Cinderella story fell just short as the Washington Capitals were able to defeat them in five games. Still, their underdog story gained them many fans in a short period of time.
Fast forward to where we are now, and the Golden Knights have went from underdog to powerhouse. They have made many huge trades during their short time as a franchise, including bringing in Max Pacioretty from the Montreal Canadiens, Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators, and most recently landing defenceman Alex Pietrangelo via free agency.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
They have been forced to move young talent, prospects included. As a result, their prospect pool is not nearly as deep as many other teams, however given how their roster looks now it is impossible to fault general manager Kelly McCrimmon. Still, they do have a few nice prospects that are on the right path to lengthy NHL careers.
As mentioned in all previous top 8 prospect pieces, any players who have played more NHL games in a season than any other league, regardless of the season, will not be included. That is why notable names such as Cody Glass, Zach Whitecloud, Nicolas Roy, and Nicolas Hague will not be included. With that being said, here are the top 8 prospects in the Golden Knight’s system.
8. Connor Corcoran
While Connor Corcoran is by no means a top prospect, he has continually improved since being selected by the Golden Knights in the fifth-round (154 overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. At the time of being drafted, he had just finished his second season in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires where he put up three goals and 24 points in 63 games. The following season saw his goal total jump to 10, while posting 32 points.
This past season was his biggest improvement yet, as the now 20-year-old defenseman scored 19 goals and 54 points in what was his final year of junior hockey. This big leap clearly impressed the Golden Knights staff, who signed him to an entry-level contract in early June. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to professional hockey, and while he is certainly an unfinished project, he has both great size and offensive abilities.
7. Kaedan Korczak
Vegas has to be happy with the growth of their 2019 second-round (41 overall) pick Kaedan Korczak. The 19-year-old defenseman saw his point total jump from 33 to 49, despite playing eight less games this season. His 49 points led team in points by a defenseman, and was good enough for second on the entire team, trailing only Pavel Novak who finished with 55.
Like Corcoran, Korczak has a good frame at 6-foot-3, and moves surprisingly well for a big man. He uses his size to his advantage, as he loves to play physical, whether it is throwing big body checks or moving traffic from in front of his net. He will spend one more season in the WHL where he will look to continue improving his overall offensive game.
6. Peter Diliberatore
The sixth best prospect in Vegas’ system is yet another defenseman – Peter Diliberatore. Much like Corcoran, Diliberatore was a late pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, being selected in the sixth-round with the 180th overall pick.
At the time he was drafted, not much was known about the Halifax, Nova Scotian native as he had just wrapped up his second season of high school hockey for Salisbury School. While there was no doubt he looked impressive that season, it remained to be seen how he would perform in 2018-19 for Quinnipiac University against much higher competition.
He proved that he was very well worth the pick in his freshman season, putting up 19 points in 38 games, along with a plus/minus of plus 22. This past season, he followed up his great rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season of six goals and 21 points in 34 games, both of which led all defenseman on his team.
The fact that he has not only held his own as an 18 and 19-year-old in college hockey but has been a top player is extremely exciting for the Golden Knights organization.
5. Brandon Kruse
Another exciting college player the Golden Knights have in the pipeline is forward Brandon Kruse. Kruse was yet another late round selection, being taken in the fifth-round (135 overall) at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
At the time of being drafted, he had just finished up a very impressive freshman season with Bowling Green State University with 33 points in 41 games, good enough for second in team scoring.
This past season was Kruse’s third for Bowling Green State, and while he posted good numbers with 34 points in 38 games, it felt like somewhat of a disappointment after his previous season with 41 points in 41 games.
While his point totals look great, it is somewhat concerning he hasn’t been able to improve much over his three seasons of college hockey. This 2020-21 season (assuming it happens) will be huge for Kruse. If he is not able to produce at a higher rate, he will see himself fall down the Golden Knight’s top prospects list dramatically.
4. Lucas Elvenes
What a first season it was in North America for Swedish forward Lucas Elvenes. Everyone knew he was clearly a very skilled player given the fact that he played 12 games in the SHL as a 17-year-old.
While there was excitement surrounding him, not many would’ve predicted him putting up 48 points in just 59 games with the Chicago Wolves as a 20-year-old this past season. That point total led his entire team in scoring, with the second highest scorer, Curtis McKenzie, trailing by six points.
Given his great year with the Wolves, along with the fact he has already played professional hockey for nearly three full seasons (two SHL, one AHL), he would likely crack many NHL rosters for the 2020-21 season.
Unfortunately for him however, the Golden Knights are stacked for forwards, meaning he will likely at the very least start the season in the AHL. Regardless, they have a great player with high upside here. It would be a huge disappointment if he ends not being able to become a full time NHLer in the next few years.
3. Brendan Brisson
The first high pick on this list is the Golden Knights 2020 first-round selection (29 overall) Brendan Brisson. The 19-year-old had an excellent rookie season in the USHL with the Chicago Steel, scoring 24 goals and 59 points in just 45 games played.
The Manhattan Beach, California native is committed to and will play for the University of Michigan this season if a college hockey season does end up happening. Of course, given the circumstances with COVID-19, that remains to be seen.
While not playing a 2020-21 season would be a tough blow for Brisson, he is a big part of Vegas’ future nonetheless. Fans of this team will likely get to watch him play for Team USA at the 2021 World Juniors, as it is very likely he finds a spot on their roster. His outstanding vision, along with his quick hands, will be on display on the worlds biggest stage for young NHL prospects.
2. Jack Dugan
The third and final college player on this list is the electric Jack Dugan. The 22-year-old, who was 21 for the entirety of the 2019-20 season, posted an incredible 52 points in just 39 games for Providence College. To no surprise, that led his team in scoring, and was a huge improvement after a prior impressive freshman season in which he had 39 points in 41 games. Simply put, the 142nd overall selection at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft looks like a huge steal as of now.
You may think that with the numbers he has put up, he may have a small frame which is why he went so late in the 2017 draft, but that is not the case as Dugan is currently listed at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds.
The real reason is that like Diliberatore, he played high school hockey for Northwood School during his draft year. Though he tore it up with 80 points in just 47 games, it is tough for scouts to get a true feel for how good a player is given that it is a fairly weak level of hockey. Still, Dugan has now proved that teams should have paid closer attention to him, as he looks like an NHL star in the making.
1. Peyton Krebs
Despite not having nearly as strong of a prospect pool as many other teams around the league, Vegas boasts one of the best prospects in Peyton Krebs. The 17th overall pick from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has gotten better and better every season throughout his three years in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice organization (now the Winnipeg Ice). He made it clear very early how special of a player he was, as he appeared in six WHL games as an underage and put up six points.
He then had a 54-point rookie campaign, followed up by a 68-point 2018-19 season. While that was good enough to get him selected in the middle of the first-round, his 60 points in just 38 games this season has many teams wishing they had taken him earlier.
Next. Seattle Kraken Mock Expansion Draft. dark
The Golden Knights certainly won’t complain, as the sky is the limit for this kid. He will more than likely spend one more season in the WHL, but has a great chance at making the Golden Knights roster for the 2021-22 season.